Khobar hostage standoff ends in commando raid

The Khobar, Saudi Arabia hostage-takers have been flushed out, but they only lost one of their guys to the commandos.

Only one of the four attackers was captured and the others escaped, but the Interior Ministry said the arrested militant, who was wounded, was the ringleader of the assault and “an important target.” One of the fugitives also was wounded.

Very professional commandos, those Saudis. Didn’t anybody think to block the exits?

In Washington, a spokesman for the Saudi Embassy, Nail al-Jubeir, told CNN that one militant also was killed in the standoff with Saudi forces.
“The intent (of the attack) was to cripple the world economy by sending the message that foreigners are not safe inside Saudi Arabia,” he said, but dismissed any notion that the kingdom cannot protect its people.
“It does not take much to come into a building with a rifle and shoot innocent people,” he said, comparing the attack to a drive-by shooting. “Unfortunately it is very difficult to guard against.”

Hey Nail, you don’t see it happening in Houston, do you?
Before you think of the Saudis as our friends and partners in the War on Terror, read this.
—UPDATE: Looks like our Saudi “friends” cut a deal and let the terrorists escape. How surprising. Hat tip to LGF.